Pubdate: Tue, 03 Nov 2015
Source: Times-Tribune, The (Scranton PA)
Copyright: 2015 Townnews.com
Contact:  http://www.thetimes-tribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4440
Author: Evan Halper and Kurtis Lee, Tribune News Service

EVOLVING PUBLIC ATTITUDES ON MARIJUANA CLOUD RACE

WASHINGTON - Pot is very much on the minds of voters, with millions 
poised to decide whether to legalize it. That raises a tantalizing 
question for presidential candidates: Is there political opportunity 
in the wind?

Some are beginning to believe there is.

The latest sign was the fullthroated call last week by Sen. Bernie 
Sanders to end federal prohibition. With that one move, the candidate 
for the Democratic presidential nomination plunged into uncharted 
territory - and, arguably, so did the presidential race.

Never before has a contender with so much to lose so unequivocally 
suggested that smoking a joint should be viewed the same as drinking 
a beer, at least in the eyes of the law.

The move was about more than Mr. Sanders' signature straight talk. It 
could give the Vermont senator a muchneeded boost in some primary 
states, especially in the West.

Some pollsters and strategists are surprised it has taken this long 
for a leading candidate to promote legalization this forcefully.

"Politicians are terrible at anything new," said Celinda Lake, a 
Washington political strategist who has worked on pot initiatives. 
"They always miss the trends where voters are ahead of them."

She says voter opinion is shifting on marijuana as rapidly as it did 
on same-sex marriage, another issue where lawmakers struggled to keep 
pace with evolving public attitudes.

A new Gallup poll found that 58 percent of voters say marijuana 
should be legalized, suggesting there is not a lot of risk in 
embracing it. More important, the pot vote draws a demographic highly 
coveted by campaign operatives: It's young, diverse and up for grabs.

But there may be danger in doubling down on the dime bag.

"It can easily be turned against them," said Kevin Sabet, president 
of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, an anti-legalization group.

What happens, he asked, when a pro-pot candidate is confronted at a 
town hall by the parent of a child who had a "psychotic episode" 
after consuming a pot lollipop? "How do you defend against that?"
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom